


Kiss Me Kill Me (Till I Bleed)

by TheStoryteller13



Series: AUgust Writing Challenge [1]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: AU-gust 2020, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Arranged Marriage, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:08:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25652620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStoryteller13/pseuds/TheStoryteller13
Summary: There is a part of her, deep, deep down, that longs for this to be the beginning of her love story. One not necessarily like her parents, because she knows they had their rocky start and fair share of trying to kill each other, but one that twists and turns all the same. The sort of love her parents fell into in the end. Part of her desperately wants someone to rule by her side and offer comfort during the long cold months of winter.
Relationships: Elijah Mikaelson/Katherine Pierce (Mentioned), Hayley Marshall/Klaus Mikaelson (background), Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman
Series: AUgust Writing Challenge [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859824
Comments: 6
Kudos: 73
Collections: AUgust 2020





	Kiss Me Kill Me (Till I Bleed)

Hope bites her lip and adjusts her dress. She frowns. The sleeves are far too long, and she never figured she would be wearing white to her wedding, anyway. It's wrong. She's not some princess to be saved, she’s a warrior. She should be wearing pants! Or _at least_ a shade of red or maybe a nice black. . .

“Hope?” Her mother, Hayley, Queen of the kingdom N’Orlay, walks in with a smile on her face. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.” Hope shakes her head. 

“And the dress?” She asks, looking at it critically. “I wore something similar to my wedding.” 

Her wedding. Right. _That_ one didn't end so badly. If her marriage did not end in disaster, maybe Hope’s won't either.

“Mom,” Hope says as she picks at the glittering jewels on the fabric, “tell me about yours and dad’s wedding?”

Hayley smooths down Hope’s hair and smiles. She gestures for her to follow to sit down on one of the plush couches in Hope’s room. The light from the wide arched windows lights up Hope’s hair, making it a lighter, flaming red. 

“I was probably just as nervous as you are on my wedding day. I’d heard stories about Klaus— how fearsome he was in battle; how ruthless he was.” Hayley begins. 

“You knew you were marrying him?” Hope knits her brow together, wishing she knew anything at all, even just a name. 

“I wasn't supposed to.” She winks conspiratorially. “But I snuck a peak at the papers my parents kept in their rooms and found the name.” 

Hope vaguely thinks about doing just that, but then she thinks better of it. The wedding is tonight anyway, knowing only hours in advance isn't going to do her much good. 

“Anyway. The day came and I was wearing this _atrocious_ white dress and I was so nervous that he was going to be some awful brute who would kill members of our court on a whim.” 

“Well, he _has_ killed members of your court on a whim.” Hope points out. 

Hayley rolls her eyes and continues. “And, you know, things were a little rough to start, but he showed me his paintings and we got to know each other. We fought side by side. Things sort of. . . fell into place after that.” 

Hope nods, soaking in the story. She is desperately hoping that her own story will be something similar.

“Do I have to wear this dress?” She asks, shifting in the uncomfortable fabric.

Hayley laughs and then nods. “There’s still enough time to change it.” 

#

Lizzie bites her nails in the carriage and scowls at the outside world. 

“Oh, stop it, honey. It’ll be fine!” Caroline says from across her, batting at Lizzie’s hand. 

“It’s not going to be fine!” Lizzie shoots back. “I mean, a _Mikaelson?”_

“This is why I didn’t want you to tell her.” Caroline turns to gaze to Josie, “This is why she’s not supposed to know!” 

“I didn’t mean to tell her! It just sort of slipped out. . .” Josie defends herself, looking genuinely sorry for letting the secret slip to her sister. 

“Can I kill her? Like you killed dad?” Lizzie asks, her eyes widening with hope as the idea comes to her. 

“Lizzie!” Caroline places a hand over her heart, scandalized. “I did _not_ kill your father! I just. . . didn’t save him.” 

“Whatever.” Lizzie rolls her eyes. “Can I do that?” 

Caroline smiles fondly and shakes her head. “You should at least give it a shot before you contemplate murder.” 

Lizzie sits back in her seat and returns to glowering out the window. It isn’t fair. Sure, her mother had to go through this, but Josie never will. Lizzie knows she’s luckier than most— just a continent over, for example, women are sold and married off for purely political purposes, and then the women don’t even get to keep the power they gained if their husband dies. But here? Lizzie knows that her own marriage may be political, but Josie will get to marry some Lord or Lady she truly loves. 

Lizzie also knows that her option of murder is unique. While she can’t outright kill her partner, if one of them were to die after the ceremony, all power would fall to the survivor. Lizzie’s family would rise, and she could demote or banish the Mikaelson’s however she sees fit. That is, if her betrothed doesn’t kill her first. . . 

“Why me, though?” Lizzie has to ask. “Josie is the same age as I am.” 

The marriage is happening in order to unite their two kingdoms, effectively stopping a war before it even begins. Lizzie knows her responsibility here, she knows she has to do this for the good of her kingdom, but she doesn’t understand why it has to be _her._

“That was just what we agreed on.” Caroline shrugs. “The Mikaelson’s liked you better. No offense darling.” She says, turning to Josie. 

Josie shakes her head. “None taken. I’m glad I don’t have to marry a Mikaelson.” 

Lizzie groans both in defeat and fear. She hopes it sounds childish so as to cover both emotions. 

“But I’m sure it’ll be fine! I’m sure Hope is going to be great and kind and you’ll fit right in there!” Josie says, trying to make her feel better. 

“Yeah, because a Mikaelson has the capacity to be _good_.” Lizzie retorts. 

“Hey! That thinking is exactly why we need you to marry her. There’s too much animosity on both sides.” Caroline crosses her arms. 

“Do I really have to live there? In _their_ castle? With _them_? Not even a friend from our side?” Lizzie asks. She feels like she’s being thrown naked to the wolves. Literally.

“That _is_ what we agreed on.” Caroline nods. “But don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll make lots of friends. And you two can visit us as much as you want.” 

Lizzie groans again and sinks into her seat. She resists the urge to start biting her fingernails again. 

#

Hope’s heals click loudly against the stone floor of her bedroom. After pacing a few more times she decides to take the shoes off. They are uncomfortable anyway. Impractical, too. They’d changed out her dress for a pair of black pants and now she wears a combination under her black corset with red jeweled details, and a black long sleeved cropped jacket that buttons in the middle and extends down into a floor length train that looks almost like a skirt. 

She tries to steady her breathing, but she’s nervous. What if this all goes wrong? What if they never like each other? What if they hate her or her family and make a snap judgement? What if they back out as soon as they see her?

There is a part of her, deep, deep down, that longs for this to be the beginning of her love story. One not necessarily like her parents, because she knows they had their rocky start and fair share of trying to kill each other, but one that twists and turns all the same. The sort of love her parents fell into in the end. Part of her desperately wants someone to rule by her side and offer comfort during the long cold months of winter. 

There is a knock at her door, and a moment later her father peeks inside. 

“They’re here.” He says, stepping fully inside. “Are you ready?” 

Hope pushes down her anxiety and nods. “I think so.” 

He walks over and kisses her on the forehead before holding out his arm to her. She takes it, and then they walk out of her room and toward the grand hall. 

#

Lizzie has never seen such gothic architecture before. In her kingdom, Mysteria, just a few hours from this one, their homes are built from wood. All the buildings are small, more cottage than house. There are green hills and tall trees and flowers of all sorts of colors and designs. But here? This is cobblestone streets as opposed to dirt. It is metal gates and stone buildings. It’s just as green and the land seems to meld with the buildings, but if feels darker. 

The witches of her home are one with the natural world, using it to amplify their magic and keep balance. As such, the buildings are extensions of it, wrapped up among the grass and bushes. This, while allowing the wolves who live here to connect with nature in the way that wolves do, is more fortified. It’s a stronghold, a place of war. And Lizzie realizes that it’s no wonder they are feared among the land. No wonder no one else seems to want to challenge them. The Mikaelson’s have made this place impenetrable. 

The castle is bigger than any she has ever seen. It’s illuminated not by the magic that she is used to in her own castle, but by candles lit inside lanterns and torches that hang along the walls. She walks hand in hand with her sister and squeezes her hand as they walk in, escorted by a blond woman who introduced herself as Rebekah. The whole place is daunting, and the sharp corners of stone and dark shadows make Lizzie shiver in fear. 

It makes her rethink her idea of killing Hope. How could she do that in this castle? Where the walls feel like they have eyes? If she did it, surely she would be murdered just as quickly. No. If she _is_ to murder Hope, she will have to do it when she knows she can get away with it, after they’re married. She could stage it, make it look like an accident. . . 

“Everyone is already waiting inside.” Rebekah is saying as she comes up to a door. They had gone through so many twists and turns that Lizzie spaced out. “Are you nervous, sweetie?” 

Lizzie glares at her. “Don’t call me ‘sweetie’.” 

Rebekah smiles, like she’s impressed Lizzie talked back to her. Then she holds up her hands. “You’re right, sorry. We’re not family yet.” 

Lizzie smiles back, trying to hold her ground. She picks nervously at her dress, wondering if it’s still the pretty white it was when they left. She wishes she had taken her mom’s advice about changing when she got here instead of wearing her wedding dress on the ride. 

“Well, I’ll leave you to it.” Rebekah says, then slips behind the door. 

“Josie, go find a seat inside.” Caroline tells her, and Josie listens. 

As soon as Josie closes the door behind her, she turns to Lizzie, stroking down her blond hair. “Breathe, Lizzie.” 

“I am breathing.” Lizzie says. Then, “Is there any guarantee I’ll be breathing later tonight?” 

Caroline rolls her eyes. “Yes. This marriage is too important for them to let her kill you. Just go in, say your vows, and get to know her.” 

Lizzie nods. Then she takes her mother’s arm and turns toward the door. 

#

Hope hasn’t stopped pacing. Klaus crosses his arms and watches her as she goes back and forth.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor.” He tells her with a joking smirk. 

“I just want to get this over with.” Hope says. 

“Any minute now.” He walks over and gently takes her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. “This isn’t going to be over with the marriage.” 

“No, I know, but this is the hard part.” Hope says, trying to resist chewing on her lip. 

He laughs. “This is definitely not the hard part.” 

Hope goes to say something back, but then music starts to play. Violins and harps from the other room. Hope gets a zing of anxiety as she takes Klaus’s arm again. The doors open before her and on the other side of the room she sees her betrothed. 

Blonde, slim, and wearing a white dress with sleeves that touch the floor, standing arm in arm with her mother, is Princess Elizabeth Saltzman. Hope has only ever seen pictures of her, the rumors of her skill with people and diplomatic endeavors accompanying them. She has read all about the young witch. 

They walk toward each other to the sound of the music. People sit on either side of the isle. Hope and Lizzie converge in the middle, and when they do Queen Caroline and King Niklaus bow to each other before shaking hands and then taking their seats, leaving Hope and Lizzie standing alone in the middle of the room. Hope doesn’t like that there are so many eyes on her. 

#

Hope Mikaelson looks like nothing Lizzie would have expected. She is a vision in her makeshift suit. Her red hair is curled and pinned up and looks like fire in the torchlight. Lizzie has never seen a picture of Hope before— her existence was a well-kept secret until she had the chance to grow out of childhood. By then, it didn’t matter that she was still young; she was a Mikaelson and she was formidable in her own right. Now, the rumors of her fighting skill and ruthless mind have circulated, but not so much her picture. 

She looks quite nervous. It calms Lizzie’s nerves a bit to see that the almighty Mikaelson daughter is just as nervous about this as she is. With a newfound confidence, Lizzie takes Hopes hands and begins the ceremony, reciting her vows without really hearing them. Something about holding her and fighting by her side. It doesn’t matter, Lizzie is too wrapped up in Hope’s eyes to care about what vows she’s making. 

#

Lizzie takes the lead in the ceremony and it calms Hope a bit. She has so much anxious energy running through her that she isn’t sure she would have been able to make it through the words. As it is, she gets through the vows alright, and then come the gifts. 

Some lands exchange rings, some do a hand fasting, but here, they exchange wedding gifts to solidify the marriage. Lizzie is handed something wrapped in cloth and unwraps it to reveal a sword. Hope takes it, examining the sharp blade and intricate hilt. It looks to be made of a rare steel. The hilt is intricately carved with twisting metal around it and a black jewel on the pommel. Hope hands it off to her father and exchanges it for a jewelry box, which she opens up to Lizzie. 

Inside of it is a necklace. Two chains converge at the clasp. One of them is arched in a standard necklace shape, the second chain comes down in half circles, attached the first chain by purple stones every few inches. Down the middle is a shining purple pendant encased in a silver rectangle. From what she knows, the necklace is imbued with magic. 

With the gifts exchanged, the ceremony is complete. 

#

The Lords and Ladies that had gathered for the ceremony have now gone, leaving only the Mikaelson court and the close friends that came with the Saltzman’s. The room they were in is transformed into a banquet hall, the tables filled with meats of all sorts and the most decadent desserts. There’s jovial music playing now, and many people are up dancing. 

Hope sits next to Lizzie and sips the wine from her goblet. 

“Hi,” she says, not looking at Lizzie.

“Hey.” Lizzie says back, glancing over briefly. 

“You look pretty.” Hope tries for conversation. 

“Thanks, you do too.” Lizzie answers. Then, “I actually wish I could change out of this dress now.” 

“That’s why I opted out of wearing a dress.” Hope says, looking at Lizzie now and offering up a sly smile. 

“In my defense, I didn’t know I would be wearing this _all day_.” Lizzie points out. 

They smile at each other for a moment. Then their gazes are drawn to the other side of the room where a shouting match has erupted between a man dressed very well and another dressed not so well. 

“Those are my uncles, Elijah and Kol. They do this from time to time.” Hope explains. A woman with short brown hair makes her way over to them and Hope continues. “That’s my aunt Freya. She’s actually a witch, you know. She and Kol.” 

Lizzie looks over at Hope in surprise. “You’re not all wolves?” 

Hope shakes her head. “We’re a mixed bag. They’ve all had really complicated pasts but, basically, my mom and dad are wolves, Freya and Kol— witches, and Elijah and Rebekah are vampires.” 

“Vampires?” Lizzie asks. She has heard stories of them, sure, but she always thought that vampires were just a myth. 

Hope nods. 

Lizzie hums, looking around. “What’s it like to have such a big family?” 

Hope shrugs. “It can be difficult, at times, but it’s nice to know that I have people who have my back. Always. And, well, I guess they’re your family now, too.” 

“Yeah, I guess.” Lizzie says, a little uncomfortable with that thought. 

“Hey, let’s dance!” Hope suggests, sensing the conversation waning. 

Lizzie doesn’t have time to agree or disagree before Hope is taking her hand and pulling her out between the tables to dance. It isn’t long before the rest of the people in the room get up and join them and then Lizzie finds herself in a throng of people dancing sporadically. People grab her hands and pull her in a circle while they kick and spin and eventually, she gets the hang of it. Hope is never too far from her and that gives her a sense of protection. For some reason, she is confident that she’s safe as long as Hope is around. 

#

Hope is still giddy off the energy of dancing and the food when she stumbles back to her room. She and Lizzie aren’t necessarily supposed to “consummate” their marriage, but they _are_ supposed to spend the night together. Lizzie said she was just going to change before coming to join her, so Hope takes this opportunity to change as well. 

She gets distracted halfway through by her sword. She unwraps it from its cloth and holds it up, testing its weight. It’s perfect. And Hope has been looking for a sword like this for a while. She gives it a few swings. 

#

Hope is going to be a problem. 

As Lizzie changes out of her wedding dress and into her pale blue night dress, which is long sleeved and adorned with lace, she thinks about how charmed she was in just a few short hours. That won’t do. That won’t do at all. That messes with her still-forming plan of murder. Lizzie was supposed to hate Hope. She was supposed to come here and meet a vicious young woman who came from a violent family. Instead she finds herself disarmed by Hope’s eyes and intrigued by her kindness. 

She has to die tonight. 

Lizzie can still make this work. Theoretically, the vows have been said, and as long as she avoids any suspicion in the murder, she can take this whole castle. Lizzie bites her nails and starts making her way to Hope’s room— trying to remember the directions given to her earlier. Hope will probably put up a fight, which will be fine if Lizzie can conjure up a shadow to run out of the room just as she calls for help. Then, when questioned, she can claim that it was assassins. 

Lizzie was supposed to be the long-suffering wife waiting for the perfect moment to murder her Queen and usurp her throne. She was supposed to carefully navigate cold and calculating family members, so they didn’t figure her out and kill her first. She is not supposed to fall in love. She is _definitely_ not supposed to be _considering_ that she might be falling in love. 

Lizzie’s too lost in thought to notice that she’s lost until her feet start to hurt. Which isn’t saying much because her heals have been making her feet ache for a while now. She stops and takes them off, then looks around. 

“Are you lost, princess?” Asks a smooth voice from behind her. 

Lizzie turns to find the well-dressed man from before. Elijah. For a moment she doesn’t answer, so he continues: “It can get quite confusing in these halls.” 

“Yeah. I, uh, got a little turned around. I was looking for Hope’s room.” Lizzie says, crossing her arms over herself. 

“It’s this way, I’ll take you.” He says, holding his arm out in the direction they would be walking in as an invitation. 

Lizzie starts to walk that way and when she catches up to where he is, he drops his arm and falls in step beside her. “Distracted by thoughts of marriage?” He asks conversationally. 

“Something like that.” Lizzie nods. She still has thoughts of murder in her mind. 

“Well, marriage can be quite stressful. I do not envy your not knowing what kind of woman Hope is.” He puts his hands in his pockets as they walk. 

“Are you married?” Lizzie asks. 

“Yes I am.” He nods. “My darling Katerina is back home. She does not like my family very much.” 

Lizzie lets out a nervous laugh. “Given your reputation, I’m not sure I blame her.” 

Elijah smiles jovially. “We do have a bit of a bad reputation, but I assure you, the rumors are only half correct.” 

Lizzie doesn’t know what to say to that, so she keeps her mouth shut. 

“My marriage to Katerina was one of love, so while I can’t give you any advice, I will tell you: Hope is the best of us. Give her a chance before you make any decisions about her character.” Elijah says, then stops in front of a door. “Have a good night.” 

He leaves her there, and Lizzie opens the door. 

#

“Lizzie!” Hope says in surprise, still in her black combination and corset. She’d gotten distracted by the sword and had not finished changing. 

Lizzie blushes at the sight of Hope dressed like that, closes the door, and then makes her decision. 

“ _Ignalusa_.” Lizzie says, holding out her hand, and fire shoots toward Hope. 

Hope instinctively puts her blade up in front of her and, miraculously, it blocks the flame. As soon as the flames stop Hope says, “What are you doing?” 

Lizzie doesn’t answer, she just does another spell, this time summoning a sword of her own, and then going after Hope. Lizzie’s blade is a shimmering blue and it _clangs_ when it collides with Hope’s. Lizzie might not be the best fighter, but she mumbles another spell to enhance her skill and then she can hold her own. 

Hope, once she realizes that Lizzie isn’t going to let up in her attacks, fights back just as hard. In the flickering light granted by the torches in her room, Hope and Lizzie engage in battle, twisting around each other as they slash and jab. Hope grits her teeth and pushes harder, growling as she swings harder and faster. 

Lizzie starts to panic, knowing that there is no way she can win in a sword fight against Hope, so she racks her brain for another spell and mumbles one to push the sword from Hope’s hands. The sword goes flying across the room and Hope looks panicked for a moment. Lizzie smirks. And then she sends a blast of lightning toward Hope, who jumps out of the way. And then she rushes Lizzie, tackling her to the ground. 

“Why are you trying to kill me?” Hope nearly screams. 

“I don’t know!” Lizzie answers, and then siphons directly from Hope, who screams as the magic is drained from her. 

Lizzie takes the opportunity and pushes off the ground, flipping them. Hope grins. Lizzie is thrown off guard by how she looks trapped beneath her, panting, hair splayed out around her head. . . 

“Well? What now?” Hope asks. 

“I—” 

“Everything okay in there?” Comes a voice from the door. 

“Everything’s fine!” Hope calls back, keeping her eyes locked with Lizzie’s.

Lizzie looks at her in confusion. That would have been the perfect time to call in someone to help. Lizzie would not have stood a chance against the rest of the family or even some guards. Maybe this was a bad idea. 

“So?” Hope says. “Are you going to finish the job?” 

Lizzie scrambles off of her and shakes her head, her brain trying to figure out what to do now. She says, “I’m tired. Perhaps I’ll do it tomorrow.” 

Hope grins wider. 


End file.
